[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24860]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               IRAQI GRANT NO GIFT TO AMERICA'S CHILDREN

  (Mr. ROHRABACHER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, today we will be discussing a 
supplemental which provides $87 billion for Iraq, $18.6 billion of that 
going as a reconstruction package.
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) was right when he 
suggested this is the pivotal decision that will be made today. The 
American people should pay close attention to what their 
Representatives are doing and should contact their Representatives if 
they believe that if we are going to give $18.6 billion away, it should 
be in the form of a loan which will be repaid once Iraq, which could be 
one of the richest oil producing countries in the world, gets back on 
its feet. It should repay that $18.6 billion. We should not just be 
giving it as a gift.
  The Rohrabacher amendment insists that it be given as a loan instead 
of a gift and that it be repaid. And if the Rohrabacher amendment is 
not permitted, if it is ruled out of order, I will move the next 
Rohrabacher amendment, which would be to cut that $18.6 billion from 
the request. And within a matter of days, the administration will come 
back with it in the form of a loan.
  If you do not want to give away this money, if you want your children 
not to have to repay this money that we are borrowing in deficit 
spending, vote for the Rohrabacher amendment.

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